Waterslides are popular ride attractions for water parks, theme parks, family entertainment centers and destination resorts. The popularity of waterslide rides has increased dramatically over the years, and park patrons continue to seek out more exciting and stimulating ride experiences. Thus, there is an ever present demand for different and more exciting waterslide designs that offer riders a unique ride experience and that give park owners the ability to draw larger crowds to their parks.
Waterslides generally include an inclined water conveying course having an entry at an upper end and an exit pool or other safe landing structure at a lower end with a flow of water between the entry and the exit. A waterslide user slides down the course under the influence of gravity, with or without a conveyance device such as a flexible plastic mat, tube or raft. The water provides cooling fun for the ride participants, and also acts as a lubricant so as to increase the speed of the rider down the flume. Generally, the slide course is arranged along a sinuous or serpentine path with a series of bends, twists and turns which enhance the amusement value of the waterslide.
Typically a waterslide is formed from a plurality of straight and curved (“macaroni-shaped”) flume segments, connected together in an end to end relationship to define the inclined waterslide course. The flume segments can be closed tubes or open, concave channels. The waterslide can comprise a mixture of different types of flume segments, for example, FIG. 1 of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0282643 shows a waterslide comprising closed tube and open channel flume segments. Often waterslide flume segments are fabricated from plastic or fiberglass resin composites and furnished with flanges via which they are bolted or otherwise fastened together. Waterslide flume segments can be made up of several shorter flume sections that are similarly fastened together. Most commonly the flume segments and individual flume sections each consist of a constant cross-section that is typically circular or somewhat semi-circular in shape and define either a straight or curved two- or three-dimensional flume segment.
In some designs, circular-profiled tube sections, extruded along a simple circular curve, feature a flange at each end. These flanges can be fastened together, to form a segment of the waterslide or the entire length of the waterslide, such that the rotation axes of the extrusions are at an angle to each other, and thereby approximate helical paths. In other known waterslide designs the flume profile is generally non-circular in cross-section, and the flume is extruded along a helical path, the helical path having a center axis nearly (for example, within about 15 degrees) parallel to the planes of the flume cross-sections.
The present disclosure provides an improved design for a flume having a helical path to provide enhanced enjoyment to waterslide riders.